Bhopal, Feb 27: The Supreme Court on Thursday dismissed petitions challenging a Madhya Pradesh High Court directive for a trial run to dispose of approximately 340 tonnes of toxic waste from Union Carbide.

“Now the state government can proceed for trial run of the toxic waste in batches,” a government official told IANS.

The petitioners, through letter petitions and special leave petitions, had challenged a high court order and argued that the government had not presented a complete study to the Madhya Pradesh High Court and had also not obtained permission from the Pithampur local body to incinerate the waste at a private facility.

The state, the petitioners argued, had obtained trial run permission by presenting half-cooked facts.

A bench of Justice B.R. Gavai and Justice Augustine George Masih responded that these concerns should be addressed to the state High Court, which is monitoring the process, an intervener and a government official told IANS.

Government advocates countered that a high-power committee found the incineration process appropriate.

The Supreme Court reinforced that any objections should be presented to the state High Court only.

With the Supreme Court’s Thursday order, a government official told IANS that the state government will go ahead with a trial run of the toxic waste as directed by the high court in Jabalpur.

According to reports, a heavy police force was deployed at the private facility in the Tarpura village of Pithampur, Dhar district (near Indore). The trial disposal will involve burning portions of the waste at feed rates between 90 kg/hour and 270 kg/hour, as per Central Pollution Control Board guidelines. Each trial will last three to four days. The state must evaluate the environmental and local impacts of the trial.

Earlier, the Madhya Pradesh High Court directed the state government to conduct a trial disposal of 340 tonnes of toxic waste from the Bhopal gas tragedy in batches. Chief Justice Suresh Kumar Kait and Justice Vivek Jain ordered the state to report back by March 27.

The toxic waste, stored at a private facility in Tarpura village, was previously housed at the Union Carbide India Pvt Ltd site in Bhopal for 40 years following the December 2-3, 1984 disaster, which caused extensive loss of life and injury.

Following a court order on December 3, the state government reported that on January 1, the waste was securely packed into 12 fireproof, leakproof containers. These were transported in a police-escorted convoy with medical, fire, and labour support, adhering to SOPs (Standard Operating Procedures) and Central Pollution Control Board regulations.

Public unrest fuelled by "fictitious" media reports suggested potential disaster from the waste's disposal at Pithampur. However, the court, on January 6, instructed the government to follow the December 3, 2024, order and dispose of the toxic waste as per regulations.

Meanwhile, a few people filed petitions in the Supreme Court demanding a stay on the trial run.

--IANS

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